Cities and towns with young, educated populations; more secular and Democratic than other American communities

Typically the Campus counties hold a dynamic feel because they are always changing and being revitalized by new, if temporary, resident. Every fall a new group of 18 - 23 year-olds arrives in town from elsewhere bringing with them new and different cultural markers and references. Those changing populations allow the largest Campus and Career counties to evolve and stay fresh.
A few examples:
Akron, OH
Ann Arbor, MI

Ethnicity

Per Capita vs. Median Household Income (2010)

Presidental Elections Vote

% Employed in Education

% Graduate Degree

COUNTY TYPE

Campus and Careers

Typically the Campus counties hold a dynamic feel because they are always changing and being revitalized by new, if temporary, resident. Every fall a new group of 18 - 23 year-olds arrives in town from elsewhere bringing with them new and different cultural markers and references. Those changing populations allow the largest Campus and Career counties to evolve and stay fresh.
A few examples:
Akron, OH
Ann Arbor, MI

In a digital age where knowledge and information are arguably the most important currency, the nation’s Campus and Career counties start out with distinct advantages. Their main economic, educational and cultural drivers – the colleges and universities in their backyards – simultaneously offer security and a chance to keep up with changing times. As the global economy shifts and the American political system shakes, the Campus counties have on hand a disproportionate number of bright young minds, who also happen to be digital nativists. They also have a crop of relatively well-paid, educated workers and a big employer in their backyards that helps promote stability.

For many members of the upper-middle class the Campus and Career counties offer a kind of best of both worlds appeal. They have some of the cafes, stores, concerts and events of a big city – not to mention some of the same highly-educated striver neighbors. And broadband connections and WiFi signals are usually easy to find. But these counties generally do not feature the crime, traffic congestion and intensity of the big city. The biggest Campus and Career communities, home to the big research universities and institutions that come with them, offer a hip cosmopolitan lifestyle in a more idyllic setting. You can live close to downtown – near the art house theater, the museum and the stadium – and get there and back with minimal life disruption.